Varsha Koduvayur

March 20, 2023 | Varsha Koduvayur, Thomas Plant

Biden’s Opportunity to Stop Violent Extremists From Exploiting Cryptocurrency

The Biden administration intends to crack down on crypto abuse by following a roadmap for regulation it unveiled in January. Calls for reform intensified after the crypto market’s tumultuous end to 2022,...

March 20, 2023 | Ashley Mattheis, Daveed Gartenstein-Ross, Varsha Koduvayur, Cody Wilson

Blind Sided

A Reconceptualization of the Role of Emerging Technologies in Shaping Information Operations in the Gray Zone

April 12, 2021 | Varsha Koduvayur |

Saudi Arabia Sentences Aid Worker to 20 Years

Saudi Arabia last week sentenced Abdulrahman al-Sadhan, a 37-year-old aid worker for the Saudi Red Crescent, to 20 years of imprisonment followed by a 20-year travel ban for tweets criticizing the government,...

December 11, 2020 | Varsha Koduvayur, Steven A. Cook

The Abraham Accords

Will they transform the Middle East?

June 8, 2020 | John Hannah, Varsha Koduvayur

Pensacola shooter’s al Qaeda link underscores need to hold Saudis to account

Five months after a Saudi military trainee killed three U.S. service members at a naval air station in Pensacola, Fla., the Department of Justice announced on May 18 that the gunman was no lone wolf...

April 27, 2020 | Varsha Koduvayur |

Historic Oil Price Crash Highlights Holes in U.S. Energy Security

U.S. oil prices went into negative territory for the first time last Monday, underscoring the extent to which the oil market is oversupplied. The price rout indicates that more pain lies in store for U.S....

April 1, 2020 | Varsha Koduvayur, Philip Kowalski

Turkish Court Indicts Saudi Nationals in Khashoggi Murder

The Istanbul chief prosecutor indicted 20 Saudi nationals last week for the murder of prominent Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, whose killing in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul sparked global outrage....

March 16, 2020 | Varsha Koduvayur |

The United States is still too reliant on oil

Oil prices have been cratering in the wake of Saudi Arabia’s decision to ramp up production and offer customers a discount for its crude. A decade ago, that would have been welcome news for the United...

February 12, 2020 | David May, Varsha Koduvayur

Trump’s peace plan and the Gulf Arab States’ reaction

Excerpt The Arab League rejection of Donald Trump’s peace plan confirmed Israel’s role as the diplomatic mistress of Persian Gulf monarchs. Arab states are happy to flirt privately with Israeli intelligence-sharing,...

October 25, 2019 | Varsha Koduvayur |

Qatar Extends Support for Turkey’s Assault in Northern Syria

Qatar defended Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s assault on northern Syria last week, becoming the first country to publicly voice support for Turkey’s intervention. Qatar’s support clarifies...

October 16, 2019 | Varsha Koduvayur |

Qatar Withdraws Endorsement of Chinese Oppression

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo voiced his regret last week that some prominent Americans refuse to acknowledge how China is “detaining and abusing more than one million Uighur Muslims in internment camps.”...

December 19, 2018 | Varsha Koduvayur |

Matthew Hedges affair should be a wake-up call for universities

Excerpt The details coming from British academic Matthew Hedges about his six-month detention in the United Arab Emirates are harrowing. Hedges, who had been arrested in Dubai last May after...

November 12, 2018 | Varsha Koduvayur |

The US is too reliant on oil. Here’s how it can fix that.

The killing of Saudi critic Jamal Khashoggi confirms what we already know: The US alliance with Saudi Arabia is not built on shared values. This is a relation...

October 9, 2018 | Varsha Koduvayur |

New Aid Package for Bahrain Signals Trouble

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Kuwait will provide a $10 billion aid package to cash-strapped Bahrain, building on a deal originally announced in June. Coming on top of a $10 billion injection already pledged by Gulf states in 2016, the deal is a further sign of Bahrain’s brewing economic crisis.

October 5, 2018 | Varsha Koduvayur |

Silencing of Critics Threatens to Undermine Saudi Reform Efforts

Jamal Khashoggi, a prominent Saudi journalist known for his criticisms of the Saudi government and the crown prince, disappeared Tuesday after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. With still no contact from him, his friends and fiancée fear the worst.

May 14, 2018 | Varsha Koduvayur

Ripples in the Gulf: GCC States’ Reaction to Withdrawal from Iran Deal Reflects Disunity

President Trump’s withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal prompted reactions from the Gulf States ranging from enthusiasm to regret. The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) members’ divergen...

May 10, 2018 | Jonathan Schanzer, Varsha Koduvayur

The delicate balance of the US-Saudi relationship

Since Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s rise to power, major reforms have swept the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. But FDD’s Jonathan Schanzer and Varsha Koduvayur argue in The Hill...

March 30, 2018 | Boris Zilberman, Varsha Koduvayur

The US can breathe easy on Russia-OPEC deal

In their latest op-ed for The Hill, FDD’s deputy director of congressional relations Boris Zilberman and senior research analyst Varsha Koduvayur explain why a potential long-term...

March 22, 2018 | Varsha Koduvayur

Senate Vote Reflects Growing Congressional Concern over Yemen

On Tuesday, the Senate voted 55-44 to block a joint resolution to end U.S. military support to Saudi forces...

March 16, 2018 | Varsha Koduvayur

Crown Prince Must Improve Saudi Human Rights Record to be a True Reformer

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman will visit the...